Budding Kiwi Chefs Shine in Teen Cooking Competition

Hundreds of Kiwi school kids
entered the 2014 Just Cook “Create a Family Meal
Challenge” with two budding culinary stars taking top
honours in this national competition.

Anna
Kelly from Havelock North Intermediate School has
been judged the overall winner of the Just Cook Create a
Family Meal Challenge for her Mega Vege Mexican
Stack which was entered in the Beef + Lamb NZ category,
while Aidan Clark from Manurewa High School
has been recognised as the Champion of Champions for his
Chilli Mussel Fettuccini in San Remo’s “Make it
with Pasta” category.

Students had the option of
entering five categories in the Just Cook Create a Family
Meal Challenge; Aquaculture NZ, I Love Eggs, Tegel,
Sanitarium and Beef + Lamb NZ. Entries across all five
categories were then judged for two supreme prizes – San
Remo’s “Make it with Pasta” and Wattie’s “Colour
your Plate with Veg.”

The New Zealand Nutrition
Foundation, organisers of the Just Cook Create a Family
Meal Challenge, were excited by the high level of
engagement from school aged children (Year 7-13) to get in
the kitchen and “Just Cook”.

New Zealand Nutrition
Foundation dietitian, Sarah Hanrahan says, “The calibre of
the entries this year were outstanding. Most of the recipes
received would delight any family sitting down to dinner,
but Anna’s Mega Vege Mexican Stackparticularly
stood out as it’s delicious, easy to make and
affordable.

“We were also highly impressed with
Aidan’s Chilli Mussel Fettuccini which highlighted
how versatile and affordable mussels are when combined with
pasta for every day family meals.”

The challenge
issued to students was to “Just Cook” a family meal.
Students created an original recipe from the ingredients on
the Just Cook Food List – a selection of pantry and
fridge/freezer essentials that the New Zealand Nutrition
Foundation recommends all Kiwi households keep on hand. The
recipes were then judged on their value for money, taste,
appearance and nutritional value to feed a family of
five.

“Many young people don’t know their way
around a kitchen and it’s resulting in fewer home cooked
meals for the next generation. Families who cook and eat at
home are more likely to have a healthier diet. The Just
Cook Create a Family Meal Challenge is focused on
getting young kiwis into the kitchen to gain confidence in
their cooking ability,” says Hanrahan.

This is the
fourth year that the Just Cook Create a Family Meal
Challenge has run as part of the Just Cook programme, an
initiative devised by the New Zealand Nutrition
Foundation.

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